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League of Chicago Theatres

The League of Chicago Theatres is proud to serve a membership of more than 200 theaters, a rich and varied theater community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters with budgets under $10,000 to major cultural centers with multi-million dollar shows. No other theater service organization in the country has such a diverse theater membership. Whether you call yourself a Chicagoan or are just visiting for the weekend, the League of Chicago Theatres is your source for Chicago theater.

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August Wilson Monologue Competition
Open to Chicago area high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the competition gives students an opportunity to explore and share the richness of August Wilson’s Century Cycle.

Annual League Gala
Our Annual Gala will take place on Monday, May 20, 2019 to support the League in our mission to sustain a thriving theatre industry.

2018 Chicago Theatre Halloween Guide

Don’t let the Halloween season pass you by without seeing one… or two… of these spooky and fun thrillers!For more fall shows in Chicago, check out the Fall 2018 Theatre Guide.

Bunnicula Lifeline Theatre 6912 N. Glenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60626 (773) 761-4477 Oct. 20-Nov. 25, 2018 At a showing of Dracula one dark and stormy night, the Monroe family discovers an abandoned rabbit. When they bring him home, resident know-it-all Chester the cat suspects the worst after spying gleaming fangs in the bunny’s mouth. And as vegetables start turning up mysteriously drained of their juices, even easygoing Harold the dog wonders if they have a supernatural menace on their hands. Brave the night and dare to embrace our differences in this musical adaptation of the 1979 book by Deborah and James Howe.

Clued In: An Improvised Murder Mystery High Stakes Productions at Annoyance Theatre 851 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 697-9693 Sept. 6-Nov. 1, 2018 After getting a single suggestion, the cast of six professional comedians also ask the audience to choose a detective. Enjoy as they invent a tale of crime, secrets and scandals right before your eyes. The performers will keep track of facts, follow leads and conclude who is the murderer, all while you take in a comedy experience unlike any you’ve seen before. During the show, they’ll employ the tropes, character archetypes and influences of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes, Nick and Nora Charles, Encyclopedia Brown and just a dash of Scooby Doo.

Death Toll: A Halloween Drinking Game Performance Corn Productions at Cornservatory 4210 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 (773) 868-0243 Oct. 5-Oct. 27, 2018 Come join Corn Productions this October with their 10th annual Halloween sketch show, “Death Toll: A Halloween Drinking Game Performance!” We have one rule for this show: drink when someone dies (onstage, of course)! Hilarity will ensue in this hour-long seance to rid the Cornservatory of all ghouls, ghosts, and goblins. Be sure to BYO your Boo-ze to this frighteningly funny Halloween-themed comedy show!

Disney in Concert: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas The Auditorium Theatre 50 E. Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 341-2300 Oct. 31, 2018 “This is Halloween, this is Halloween!” Celebrate Halloween with this very special screening of the beloved movie Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Follow along as Jack, the Pumpkin King, attempts to bring the Christmas spirit to his spooky hometown. The classic film is brought to life with a concert performance featuring the Chicago Philharmonic and the residents of Halloweentown.

Frankenstein Lifeline Theater 6912 N. Glenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60626 (773) 761-4477 Sep. 7-Oct. 28, 2018 An unexpected death shatters a family and Frankenstein retreats into the darkest recesses of the psyche in search of a way forward. To find meaning in this impossible loss, a terrible creation is brought to life – one whose existence threatens all hopes for the future. Haunted and hunted at every turn, Frankenstein must endure a nightmare journey of the soul in a quest for survival. Grapple with the demons of grief and denial in this world premiere adaptation of the 1818 thriller by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Frankenstein Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theater Wit 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 975-8150 Oct. 11-Nov. 11, 2018 Mary Shelley’s revolutionary Romantic horror classic is shocked to life by retelling the story from the point of view of the abandoned creature in Nick Dear’s taut, muscular new version, raising urgent questions about scientific responsibility, parental neglect, and the nature of good and evil. Contains mature content.

The Golden Girls: Bea Afraid – The Halloween Edition Hell in a Handbag Productions at Stage 773 1225 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 327-5252 Oct. 6-Nov. 3, 2018 It’s not Halloween without a Handbag show, so Artistic Director David Cerda is conjuring up a special edition of its hit TV sitcom parody. Better get your tickets early – Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia are only back for seven wig-raising performances. Bea afraid, Bea very afraid!

Hitch*Cocktails High Stakes Productions at Annoyance Theatre 851 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 697-9693 Fridays, 2018 It starts with an audience suggestion then the players create a full-length thriller in the style of Alfred Hitchcock. There could be murder, car chases, gun play, beautiful women, exciting music and drinks…plenty of drinks. Since this is high class crime, the stage is complete with a wet bar and the actors will be forced to partake as the plot develops. By the end of the show, you might not be able to stand the suspense and the actors might not be able to stand at all.

The Innocents (re)discover theatre at Preston Bradley Center 941 W. Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60640 (312) 884-1733 Oct. 7-Nov. 4, 2018 Inspired by a concert held in the Paris Catacombs in 1897, Les Innocents/The Innocents is an immersive queer thriller for every soul. Prowl the catacombs like ghosts and follow Gui, a composer on a quest for love as they conjure spirits, confront death, and create light. In the Empire of the Dead, chaos reigns and the hungry survive. We'll see you in the catacombs. Recommended for ages 16 and up.

The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe: A Love Story First Folio Theatre at Mayslake Hall 1717 31st St, Oak Brook, IL 60523 (630) 986-8067 Oct. 3-Nov. 4, 2018 In 1849, two years after the death of his wife Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe is haunted not just by the specter of his beloved, but also by his many macabre stories. As he roams from room to room, searching for release from his personal demons, Poe relives both his life and his tales. Follow Poe and the ghost of his wife Virginia as they take you throughout haunted Mayslake Hall and deep into The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe.

Masque Macabre Strawdog Theatre Company 1802 W. Berenice, Chicago, IL 60613 (773) 644-1380 Oct 4-Oct. 31, 2018 A new immersive theatrical experience from Strawdog is inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe and set in Prospero’s underground Masquerade Ball on the eve of the end of the world. Guests will be encouraged to follow stories of revenge and murder as they happen in real time or explore the fully realized open world as they desire. A nondisclosure agreement will be required before entry.

Night of the Living Dead Three Brothers Theatre 221 N Genesee St, Waukegan, IL 60085 224-419-4325 Oct. 5-Oct. 27, 2018 Barbra and Johnny Blair are in rural Pennsylvania to see the grave of their father. Something feels off. There’s a strange presence in the cemetery and something is stalking them. A man attacks them, lashes out them, tries to bite them, Barbra runs for her life stumbling into a bystander by the name of Ben. Ben rescues her, and they find themselves stranded in an old country home with a group of unlikely allies. What’s out there? What’s stalking the countryside? Night of the Living Dead is adapted from the acclaimed cult-classic movie that invented the word zombie!

POE Theatre Above the Law at The McKaw Theater 1439 W. Jarvis Ave, Chicago, IL 60626 (773) 655-7197 Oct. 19-Nov. 11, 2018 Welcome to the Mystic Moon, a cabaret bar where the denizens of Edgar Allen Poe's most frightful and delightful tales gather night after night. Let the lost Lenore and her cast of ghouls lead you through four of Poe's classic stories, including "Fall of the House of Usher," "Masque of the Red Death," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and of course "The Raven" as they are transported onto the stage in an evening of creepy comedy.

Postcards from the Post-Apocalypse Part II Three Brothers Theatre at The Edge Theater 5451 N Broadway Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 769-9112 Oct. 4-Oct. 17, 2018 The zombie apocalypse is nigh and it’s up to one man to guide you through the impending disaster! You won’t want to miss this frolic through the end of times as one man brings over 18 unique characters to life on stage! It’s time to get into the Halloween spirit. Don’t miss this ride that parodies everything from Dawn of the Dead, to Zombieland, to the birthplace of the zombie craze: Night of the Living Dead!

The Rocky Balboa Picture Show Corn Productions at Cornservatory 4210 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60618 (773) 868-0243 Oct. 5-Oct.27, 2018 The worlds of the Rocky Balboa film franchise and The Rocky Horror Picture Show meet for a world premier mashup musical parody of epic proportions. The Rocky Balboa Picture Show boasts a high energy, strangely sexy, and over-the-top production. BYOB to this main event!

Splatter Theater The Annoyance Theatre and Bar 851 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 697-9693 Sept. 15-Oct. 31, 2018 A parody of Friday the 13th-type movies, the characters in Splatter Theater include such archetypes as the nun, the school jock, the virgin, the class dick, and of course the bumbling old man. Laugh and watch them all die in different ways: Tongue pulled out, drill in the head, evisceration, slashed throat, and many other hilariously appalling ways! With freshly painted white walls on the stage before each performance, the audience will be horrified and delighted by the end, when the walls are covered in blood!

A Wet Dream on Elm Street: The Musical The Annoyance Theatre and Bar 851 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 697-9693 Oct. 7-Nov. 5, 2018 When a group of misfit friends goes out to Boystown, they find themselves facing off with Teddy Krueger, the infamous Nightmare on Elm Street’s sadder, sexier younger brother. As each friend drifts into the dreamworld they must come to terms with their friendships, identities, and their truest, raunchiest selves. No girl or boy is safe from Teddy.

Witch Writer’s Theatre 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL 60022 ( 847)242-6000 Sept. 26-Dec. 16, 2018 Mischief is afoot in the sleepy village of Edmonton and the fate of the world is at stake in this smart modern fable. When the emotionally conflicted son of the local lord and an ambitious newcomer come into conflict, help presents itself to both of them in the same guise—as the Devil himself. But while these two young men take advantage of the Devil’s bargain to accomplish their own questionable ends, someone else in town stands her ground—Elizabeth, an outcast whom everyone believes to be a witch.

The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go! The Theatre School at DePaul University (Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences) at Merle Reskin Theatre 60 E Balbo Dr, Chicago, IL 60604 (312) 922-1999 Sept.27-Nov. 3, 2018 Do you ever wish you could be unique without being different? All Bruce and Violet Wong want is to fit in and to have friends. When they discover they both have superpowers, the fate of the world falls into their hands. Will their unique strengths be enough to save the world from the Space Chupacabra?